I’m in love with Clifford, the butler. I want one. Ellie and Clifford head to Cornwall after receiving a message from an old friend of her uncle’s, who believes his gardener is trying to kill him. When they arrive, they find the police and an ambulance in the driveway, but it’s the gardener who’s been murdered. Lots of mysterious characters around, the estate is in ruin, and it the Christmas holidays and Ellie’s beau, Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon drives down to help out. Exciting ending with the threat of Ellie and Clifford almost drowning. ( )

Love the Verity Bright writing team. Love The Eleanor Swift cozy Murder mysteries. Really didn’t like the majority of the players is this installment. Usually there are a few nasty guys between the pages but it was beyond difficult to find anyone who was sympathetic. But the mystery was engaging, the murders more gruesome, the twists harder and sharper, the quips brighter and smarter, the upper classes more obnoxious and insulting than ever and the ultimate reveal totally satisfying. There isn’t much more I can hope for. This writing team gets what their readers want and delivers over and over.

Many thanks to Bookoutre and NetGalley for a copy of another great installment. ( )

Another fun adventure!

It's nearly Christmas in 1923 when Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler, Clifford, are called immediately to Cornwall. It seems that an old friend of her uncle, Godfrey Cunliffe, is convinced that the man he hired to restore the gardens is trying to kill him. Although she hates to leave her fiance, Hugh Seldon, behind, they hurry off arriving in time to find the snow falling and the gardener, Jerome St Clair, lying dead at the bottom of a cliff near the manor house.

This was fast and fun, and I enjoyed every minute of it. Love the details about that time period including the vivid descriptions of Cornwall, the customs, food, dress, and culture. The characters are all great friends by now and I always like catching up with them on their latest mystery. This is a really good historical cozy mystery series, and any fan will not want to miss this latest installment.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I urge that you start at the beginning of this series for maximum entertainment. ( )

historical-novel, historical-research, 1920s, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, class-consciousness, local-law-enforcement, fiance, small-town, friendship, friends, pets, unputdownable, unpleasant-guests, relationships, relatives, series, inheritance, murder, investigations, Christmas-season, thriller, suspense, suspicion, near-drowning, situational-humor, witty*****

Lady Eleanor with her quintessential characteristics of uncommon sense and a need to solve every question is back wreaking havoc. This time she is at a mildly decrepit pile in Cornwall with the battiest collection of people. She is there only a very short time when she finds the first body in the garden. From then it's flat out investigating and more. Loved it!
This can't be an unbiased review because I love this series! It works as a stand alone, though.
This series has the very best and interesting characters (good, bad, and absolutely silly). The series began as a farce: Eleanor is widowed and is a presumed orphan and world traveler on the cheap who comes to rural England and finds that she has inherited the title and all that from uncle who was recently deceased. The best part of it all is The Butler Who Knows Everything who helps her with anything (and never treats her like a ninny), her trusty household staff, her tiny French bulldog, the family kitty, and her recent fiance DCI Hugh Seldon of the Met who has been mightily tolerant of her sleuthing (but not of her wealth). I really enjoy all the ongoing (as well as new) characters, and the mysteries are so well done!
I requested and received a digital ARC of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ( )